An investigation by the Office of the Maine Attorney General has ruled that police were justified in shooting a Naples man during a standoff in January.

Eric Sweda Courtesy Cumberland County Jail

Attorney General Aaron Frey wrote in a report released Friday that York County Deputy Sheriff Alex Markellos was acting in self-defense when he shot Eric Sweda, 36, after more than three hours of negotiations and after Sweda fired multiple shots at deputies.

“Throughout the standoff, Mr. Sweda repeatedly put officers at risk of serious bodily harm or death,” Frey wrote. “All facts and circumstances point to the conclusion that Officer Markellos reasonably believed he was acting in defense of himself and others at the time he used deadly force.”

The attorney general’s office investigates all police uses of deadly force in Maine. It has never found a police shooting unjustified.

On Jan. 14, Cumberland County Deputies responded to a series of 911 calls from Sweda asking to be “taken in” and threatening to shoot himself, according to the report. When they arrived at his house around 11 p.m., they called and texted Sweda but he did not respond. Authorities then heard gunshots from inside his house, took cover and called Cumberland County Emergency Services for backup, the report states.

As they waited, Sweda shot at the officers six to eight times and then admitted over the phone to having a rifle and pistol, the report reads. The negotiator said Sweda sounded intoxicated and threatened to shoot more rounds at law enforcement if they didn’t leave.

Markellos told investigators that he saw Sweda exit his sliding door, raise what appeared to be an AR-style rifle and aim to his right, where officers were taking cover in the treeline. The attorney general’s report says that Markellos fired 12 times, hitting Sweda once in the left arm.

Sweda was taken to Maine Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. He was treated for a gunshot wound, a broken thumb and lacerations to his left hand. His blood alcohol content was 0.31%, the report said.

Sweda told the investigator that he owns a rifle and handgun, which he keeps loaded in his bedroom, the report said. He said he didn’t remember calling the police or how many times he fired. He told authorities that he drank, smoked marijuana and took a Xanax that night.

Sweda was charged with aggravated attempted murder, reckless conduct with a firearm, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. He is currently being held in the Cumberland County Jail on a $100,000 bond.